Month in Review and No-Spend July

Anyone else wondering where HALF the year went?? Can you believe it’s almost July? That’s nuts! I mean, I’ll be thinking about fall in just two weeks months! ;)

Since the end of the month is here, yet again I’m recapping the last 30 days of projects just in case you missed one of them! I’m adding a little somethin’ from now on too – if I haven’t answered a question you have about one of the June projects, please leave me the question in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer you there.

I started off the month by sharing what our Nutter, Nut Butt, Crazy Dog – our cute little Peanut, has been up to:

He looks so innocent.

Thanks SO much for all of the advice about our sweet, crazy dog. :) Many suggested crate training and we’ve been doing that since day one. I’m afraid we  have a non-trainable dog, at least when it comes to his business. If you know what I’m sayin.

Is there such a thing as a dog that can’t be potty trained? If so, we sure have one. ;)

I don’t know if I mentioned this, but Peanut can go ALL night, like 11 hours straight, without having to go. So that is AWESOME. I have a feeling the “light bulb” just hasn’t gone off in his head yet about the rest of the day. I’m hoping anyway!

Some of you had some great ideas so we’re persevering!

At the June Before and After Party, I shared how I started out the guest room redo – with bedding as my inspiration:

LOVE it! Thank you to reader Emily for sharing the name of the bedding on Facebook – the brand is Hillcrest and the print is called Santorini. I found a comforter set for sale on Ebay here if you are interested!

Next up, a simple door painting project turned into my biggest DIY disaster ever. It involved broken glass. LOTS OF BROKEN GLASS:

I love how it turned out…I mean LUUURVE. it. So it was worth the hole in the house. I think.

I shared the ways I deal with the bad feelings blogging brings on and how I keep blogging FUN in the next post:

This post resonated with so many of you and I’m so glad!

We searched and searched for new outdoor furniture and finally found a fantastic deal at Sears:

So far we are loving it! It’s so nice to have a table set out there again. And the weather has been awesome this summer (so far), so we’re actually using it!

I made some progress on the never ending project that is my office:

The board and batten is caulked and puttied and ready for paint! (Whoo.) I showed you the how-to on prepping the molding here!

Next I shared my piling problem:

I’m a piler. And a bagger. And I loved hearing from all of you who are too!! I loved reading those comments, they had me rolling! We are NOT alone people! ;)

I’ve made some changes to our master bedroom since last fall and shared the progress here:

It’s our comfy sanctuary and I love how it’s coming together!

I shared Kristi of Addicted 2 Decorating in this month’s Show Her Off post. This recent project of hers is one of my favorites:

Wow, I just love it!

If you haven’t been to Garden Ridge, you’re missing out!:

I shared some of the goodies from my last trip here. Some of you mentioned your local GR isn’t as good lately, and I’ve noticed some changes in ours too. Thankfully they still have a great selection. (I’m a sucker for their outdoor stuff!)

And finally, I showed you how I’m teaching myself to sew (again). It’s been a couple of years since I’ve touched a sewing machine and if feels good to be creating with it again:

My sewing skills are as basic as it gets and I’m still figuring it out – I KNOW you can too! :)

That’s the month of June all wrapped up in one post for y’all! I’m kind of excited about next month’s projects because I’ve created a little challenge for myself.

I’m determined to not spend a DIME on any DIY or decor projects for the whole month of July. Over the past few months I’ve realized how long my to-do list has gotten, and I’m determined to catch up.

So I’m challenging myself to get them done without spending any money. These won’t be free projects mind you, because there are some I have the supplies for and I just haven’t gotten to completing them. (I’ll probably have a few True Value posts thrown in there too.) But I think it will be fun to try to get creative and try to make things work with what I have on hand.

So for the month of July the posts probably won’t be as in depth – some of them may be brief, how-to kind of posts. But I also hope to post a little more than usual too. We’ll see how that goes. It is summer and I tend to turn into a sloth during the warmer months. ;)

I think it’s going to be fun – but I think I may go through HomeGoods withdrawal people. Nah, really -- I’m not there that much. I just tell you every time I have been there so it seems like I am. Or something like that.  ;)

If you have any questions specific to the June projects, leave them in the comments!

Learning to sew…again

Hello there! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! We started the Fourth festivities a little early and had a blast – I LOVE this week every year. :)

As you may or may not know…if you have read this blog for two minutes…you know we just got a new sofa in the family room. And it’s created a snowball in the space (and the rest of the house, but more on that later) – but it’s the kind of snowball I LOVE.

It’s the “this part is soooo much better so now that needs to be addressed” effect. I know you know what I’m sayin’. If you’re like me anyway. Which many of you are. (I’m sorry.)

One of my favorite parts of the new sofa – it’s deep. Plenty of booty space. And almost as important – plenty of pillow space. I’m a chick, what can I say? I love me some pillows.

My pet peeve with our last sofa was that the pillows ended up on the floor every. single. time. the Bub and hubby would sit down. (Can someone please tell me WHY this phenomenon occurs?)

But now there’s plenty of room for tush and pillows, so I’m one happy Momma.

I wanted to find a couple new pillows that worked with the ones we already had and our rug:

(You can see more on my FAQ page about the rug!)

I was at the “fancy” mall for a bit this weekend and checked into Pottery Barn. They had this striped cover on clearance:

And I brought it home but it was too bland. It was super cute but too much red with our other pillows.

I checked out Target and found this cutie:

The opposite side was blue, which worked great with the rug, but it was just too graphic for what I wanted.

And what I really wanted was something with blue, red, cream and a bit of green like our rug.

Next to impossible. So I decided it was time.

Time to make my own. (Dun dun duuuuun.) I knew if I looked at the fabric store I’d find something perfect if I would just be willing to sew them myself.

But I kept hesitating. I haven’t sewn anything in about two years. Mostly because the sewing machine I had was an itty bitty Shark sewing machine:

It worked pretty darn well for years…I sewed a few pillows with it and even a set of drapes. And it was supa cheap – you can find it Overstock here for only $20.

But it was SO small, and hemming tape was SO easy. :)

For a while I’ve been realizing the endless possibilities that I’m missing out on by not sewing…or at least learning to sew better. I’ve got the most basic skills when in comes to this – all from Home Ec in the 7th grade. ;)

So a few months ago I got a new, slightly larger sewing machine. It’s still not a full size, but it’s much bigger than my old one and has a ton more options.

But it sat in the closet for months. Taunting me:

The whole relearning thing was intimidating me.

But when I walked into Joann’s and found the PERFECT fabric for family room pillows, I knew I had to bust it out.

And I was so pleasantly surprised – I basically pulled it out, plugged it in and started sewing. It was all ready to go and the sewing part came right back to me!

With just a bit of measuring and a little time (and I mean little, they went fast) I made a couple of pillow covers for the new sofa:

Told you the fabric was perfect – blue, red, cream and a tiny bit of green! It’s so fun and fresh for summer too! (I’ve got some drywall patching and painting to finish up before I can show you the whole space.)

The fabric is a Waverly print and I made two pillows with just a little over a yard of fabric – for $12.

GAH. Doing it yourself strikes again – since I used the pillow inserts that came with the sofa, I got two pillows for $12. Score!

I was feeling pretty darn good, so I moved on to the next project that I’ve been meaning to finish forever.

After I finished up the Bub’s big boy room last year, my friend Rebecca emailed me with a photoshopped picture of a cute yellow and white striped pillow on his bed. She thought it would be the perfect finishing touch and she was SO right.

It only took me a year, but I finally got that darn pillow done! I found the perfect striped fabric at IKEA earlier this year. I think it was about $6 for what I needed.

My pillow-making tutorial is not really a tutorial. :) I cheat by folding over the fabric so I have one less side to sew:

:) I’m going to work it on people. Just give me time.

Then I just sewed a straight line on two sides, and half of the other. The opening is for stuffing the pillow, and I just sewed it up by hand:

It’s not pretty. I don’t care. No one will notice. And if they do, as you know, they get a cookie.

I have yet to hand out a cookie. :)

I love how it turned out!:

Seriously cauuute!!

It pulls the yellow out of the sheets and works with the touches of yellow throughout the room:

FUN! And I did it all by myself – WHOO! Next up, slipcovers!!

Watch out world!

No really, my next goal is just to put zippers in pillows. I’m very excited about this. :)

Now the little sewing machine no longer mocks me…it flutters hearts out at me:

Awww…so sweet!

If you are looking to get into sewing, so far I’m REALLY pleased with this little Pixie machine. It came with a ton of supplies as well:

Everything you will need to start out comes with the machine. I’m good on thread for quite some time. Until I try that slipcover. ;)

So, any sewing tips for me? Do you have a machine you love for when I get so good at this that I need to upgrade? (In…a few years.) Did you teach yourself or did you learn as you went?

I’d love to hear!

Love for The Ridge

Well helloooo! I’m writing to you tonight from our new SUPER comfy, super soft, just-the-right-size sectional. :) Couldn’t be more pleased with it, really. And I swear this is the last time I’ll mention it till I show you. ;) Soon!!

Every once and awhile I find a store and I feel like I didn’t share it it with you I’d be committing some kind of thrifty shopping find. So share I do. This one just took me awhile. :)

I discovered Garden Ridge a few years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Ours is a good 30 minutes away, so I only get over there a couple of times a year. But I do my best to get over in the spring/summer every year because of the variety they carry.

Their outdoor selection (and prices) are hard to match! They have an crazy good selection of cushions:

It’s really insane. They used to have an incredible selection of outdoor pillows too, but I didn’t see many this time. I’m sure they’ve mostly sold out already. (Cause it’s JUNE you know.)

They had a great selection of outdoor benches and chairs this time:

  

I thought that trellis design was super cute. I got a couple of steel end tables for the deck that I’ll show you soon.

I have wanted a hammock FOREVER. I tell hubby every year I want one for Mother’s Day, and we just never get to it. I have always wanted to hang it between two trees in our backyard, but we’d have to clear away a lot of brush to get it set up.

I came across the hammocks (for $30!!) at The Ridge and couldn’t resist:

They had the rope hammocks, and then the rainbow version and a blue and white stripe that I loved.

I had to go with the color though:

Ignore the flip flop tan. And that this is not a flattering angle for the legs. :)

This thing is HEAVEN. Seriously, I could lie in there all day. Instead of dealing with the trees, I just got a stand while I was there, and it took about five minutes to put the whole thing together.

I’m so excited about my pretty hammock. :)

They have a TON of home decor too – I loved this large drum shade:

Isn’t that so fun?

It would perfect to for a DIY drum shade pendant or for updating your ceiling fan:

:) Wouldn’t it look FAB?

I loved these bookcases too:

I think the smaller one was $80? Maybe not, I wish I could remember!

They reminded me of this Ballard Designs version:

You’d save a good $500 easy. :)

I got all of our kitchen chairs from Garden Ridge about three years ago, and they’ve held up pretty darn well. They were all buy one get one half off.

These are the bar stools I have at our island, (ours were black):

I cut down the legs a bit, covered the seats and then painted them white last month:

LOVE!

Garden Ridge has a great selection of rugs too:

Not only area rugs, but a ton of kitchen rugs, welcome mats – everything!

But wait till you get a load of this…the pillow selection is like nothing I’ve ever seen:

HA! Told you! And this is one of THREE aisles. :)

Craaaayzay!

I love that they have smaller and larger sizes – usually about $10 and $20 respectively. I thought these were super cute:

 

I couldn’t resist a large and a small in this design:

Now I just have to decide where to put them – they go perfectly in the playroom and the living room!

Of course Garden Ridge has some…uh, questionable stuff too:

 

Although if I had a ton of storage space, I would so get a couple of those knights as Halloween decorations! :)

So, have you been? Got anything good? I wouldn’t say their quality is spectacular, but we’ve had good luck with the items we’ve purchased over the years. For the price, it’s a great deal. 

I love hearing about new thrifty places to shop…got any good ones?

**I’m not getting paid to tell you about Garden Ridge. They have no idea who Thrifty Decor Chick is (unfortunately). ;) I just like it so I tell ya!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Showing off Kristi

Well hello there! Hope your week is going smashingly. ;)

I’m SO excited because we get our new sectional for the family room in just a couple of days. I am so giddy it’s just ridiculous. You’d think I was about to birth a sofa. ;)

I’ve got a day of moving furniture around (yippee! I mean, really, yippee!!) planned tomorrow, and after a few more changes I hope to show you the space next week.

WHEW HEW!!

Before I show you the fantastic blogger I’m showing off this month, I need to announce the two winners of the Vintage Poster giveaway. The lucky gals are Karen at Pine Oak Ranch (she has a grandbaby due soon!) and Amanda Smith at The Smith Family.

Congrats ladies! Please send me a quick email and I’ll get you hooked up with your gifts. :)

OK, onto the fantastic blogger-o-the-month. You’re going to kinda love me/kinda hate me after reading this post, cause you’ll click over and be at Kristi’s site for a LONG TIME. Consider yourself worthless for the evening.

But you’ll love me because there’s so much good stuff over there. ;)

Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating is an interior designer in Waco, Texas who loves to DIY.  About a year ago, she made the decision to only take on projects where she can do all of the work herself – meaning no contractors, no painters. She does it all and loves it (like me and so many of you!)

I found Kristi a long time ago when I saw her take on the gumball fish tank:

Our version is usually in the Bub’s room:

But hubby has moved him out to the playroom where it’s “warmer” -- he’s a tropical fish you know. The Squishy fishy and hubs are BFFs. ;)

Her transformations are awesome – this thrift store chair had potential:

And Kristi made it into a beautiful after:

I LOVE what she used on the seats! Go here to see. :)

I think my mouth dropped open when she used art from Nudge Home as inspiration:

And made her own. Get ready for this…

GAH. Can you believe it? To see her process, go here.

Sunburst mirrors are all the rage right now, and there are some in particular I’m really digging. I’m trying my hand at one myself using shims, but then I saw Kristi’s version and hung my head in shame:

Now that is gorgeous!

She also shares the transformations in her client’s homes, and this recent one is just stunning. The upholstered wall was beautiful enough:

But with the addition of some DIY art, I was really swooning:

And I guarantee YOU could do it too – go here to see what she used. I think that is just lovely! (To see more of a how-to on the wall, go here. I’m bookmarking it fo sho.)

And finally, Kristi’s kitchen is just SO fun…I know you’ll love it:

I warned you…you’ll be surfing through her site for awhile. :) Put the kids to bed, grab a drink and prepare to put a dent in the couch.

COUCH! Did I mention ours comes this week???? Oh, I did?  ;)

If you’d like me to show off your blog, send me an email with the subject line “Show Me Off.” Include some links to your favorite projects! I will get to all of you amazingly talented Squeezies someday. :)